For several years now, it has been Major League Baseball tradition that cash-strapped teams shop one or more of their best players during the annual Winter Meetings. Lately, the biggest deals have been for elite pitchers: The Oakland Athletics traded Dan Haren to the Arizona Diamondbacks in December 2007–a deal that included current stars in pitcher Brett Anderson and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez–and the dominoes have fallen each winter since.
Johan Santana, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee are three other big names that have moved over recent offseasons, and it seems only logical to believe that someone of that general caliber will move this year.
Who could be the biggest catches? There are no fewer than five legitimate trade candidates with a chance to make a long-term impact in a new home. Here they are: